The Oldest Story in the World
by Cloudsong
Summary: It's the oldest story in the world; one day you're seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life. A one-shot of the story of Ted and Andromeda.


_**It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're seventeen and planning for someday.**_

The sky was clear that day, the air frigid from the snow that had fallen through the night. It was nearly Christmas, and most of the students of Hogwarts had gone back to home for the Holidays. The grounds were empty, or at least, nearly. Close by the frozen lake, under the fronds of a frozen willow tree, a couple sat nestled together in what appeared to be the only clear spot in sight. They seemed oblivious to the cold, only aware of the other. She had her head leaning against his chest, her long hair cascading over her shoulder. Her eyes were dark - not only in color, but in expression. Dark with worry. Worry that he was unable to see, from the position they were in. He had his eyes closed, a small smile on his face as he just lived in the moment they were sharing.

It was still early. The sun had not yet reached its normal high in the sky, and the snow that surrounded them had not begun to melt from its rays. Around them was a silence that seemed unbreakable, only sometimes interrupted by the distant chirps from the birds that came out everyday to announce morning.

"What are we going to do?" The words suddenly escaped from her lips before she could hold them in. Her deepest, darkest worries. She slowly pulled away from his grasp so that their eyes could meet.

For a moment he seemed confused by her sudden question, but the boy remained with his calm stance, never showing any signs of doubt, even if he had them. Perhaps even stronger than she. "You mean when school ends this year?" he replied quietly.

She nodded mutely, her expression betraying her fear.

He seemed to understand what she meant. "We'll do what we always have done, Andromeda," he said softly, his words gentle as he tried to calm her. She had always been like this - nervous, and open to him about her fears. A lifetime with her dark, paranoid family had taught her some of the worst morals he had ever seen, but the years she had spent with him had taught her good. But the fear still remained, and he was unsure of it would ever truly leave her. Her family had responded badly, when they had discovered that their precious daughter had been fraternizing with a Mudblood in school. It had been a revolting thing to hear, and Ted knew that Andromeda had been scarred for life last summer, when the truth had come out. But she had made her choice, to stay with the man she loved, above going with her family's beliefs. Because Ted was everything she had ever been taught to hate from a young age, and because of what he was, she had been burned off of her family tree. Never would she be able to return to that family, and she knew this - they both did.

"We'll do anything we want." Ted reached over and put an arm around her, gently pulling her close again. He wanted to tell her it was going to be all right, to make her feel at peace once more. But she didn't. Not entirely. He could feel her body tense up as he gently put a hand over her shoulder, as if she had been expecting a violent touch. It hurt him to know that she was like this - that her parents had tortured her so endlessly the last summer. They had hurt her, in a form deeper than simply being physical pain. Her family's anger upon hearing the truth of her relationships had led them to violence, in forms that Ted himself was not even sure were legal. It was impossibly hard for him to know that he hadn't been there with her to defend her - that he hadn't even known what was happening until the day she had apparated onto his doorstep that chilly summer night, her body purple from bruises, having been starved, beaten. It was always an unspoken agreement that they would never talk or see each other over the Summers - it was too dangerous. But she had come to him, and in that moment he had instantly known that she had left them for good. She had been sobbing, apologizing endlessly for reasons he hadn't even known about. And he had brought her in to his house, and hadn't let her return to the place she had known to be 'home' her whole life.

Andromeda silently wrapped her arms around his torso, closing her eyes tightly as if trying to shut off the world in front of her. "Bella said she was going to kill me," she said, her voice coming out in a dead whisper. "Both of us."

"I'd like to see her try," Ted replied, his voice determined. Although the woman was frightening, with her maddening loyalty to the dark, Ted couldn't really find it within himself to fear Andromeda's sister. Perhaps it was the fact that he had finally realized that the love he had, and the love he shared with Andromeda, was the most important thing in both of their lives. It overpowered the darkness.

_**And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday was yesterday. And this is your life.**_

_**We spend so much time wanting, pursing, wishing...**_

He had first noticed her on the day that classes started in first year. She was standing there, next to her older sister, right outside of the great hall. Her raven-black hair had just the right amount of curls to it, her face just the right hint of a smile as she responded to something the boy beside her said. On her chest, she proudly displayed the green tie of Slytherin, and her black robes were immaculate. She was beautiful, and Ted had stopped on his way down the stairs, just to stare at her. It took him off guard, to see someone of the house with such beauty, as all of his friends had already warned him that Slytherins were bad news. He knew that he would stay away.

She didn't turn to look at him, nor did she probably even see him. If her eyes passed over him, they probably didn't even register the skinny Ravenclaw boy who stood in the midsts of a group of young boys. He was invisible to her, as anyone who was not of a high birthright was.

His friend, a boy from Ravenclaw as well, seemed to notice the sudden draw of attention. "Forget about _that_, Ted. She's never going to see us. And it's better that way, if her family will leave us alone." He gave the group of Slytherins a shifty glare, as if he disliked them. Or feared them.

Ted glanced over at him, surprised. "What do you mean, Frank? What's wrong with her family?" he asked quietly, his question innocent. Having come from a non-magic family, it was natural that he didn't know the truth about Blacks.

Frank gave an uneasy laugh. "I think you'll find that out on your own. But most purebloods hate muggleborns like you. That's just the way it is." He seemed so sure, as he said this, and Ted hesitated before falling into step once again beside him, turning the corner away from the girl. She didn't even look over as he glanced over his shoulder once more. It was like Frank said - she probably couldn't even see him. Would never see him.

_**But ambition is good, chasing things with integrity is good, dreaming.**_

And despite what his friend had told him, and contrary to what Ted himself had begun to believe, Andromeda did see him. She saw him, every time they passed by in the halls. Every time her sister would taunt him and his friends, and she would stay silent, never coming to his defense, no matter how much she wanted to. He would always try to fight back - always had a smart remark that made her secretly smile when no one was looking. But because of who she was always with, and because of how her every move was being monitored, Andromeda could give him nothing but glares. They never spoke, even if she so desperately wanted to. He at first would give her smirks, even small smiles whenever he would get into an argument with Bellatrix and Rudolphus. But after a while, his smirks turned into reproachful looks, his eyes turning to anger. He was only responding to the coldness she had given him always. After all, why would he keep on trying with someone who so clearly loathed his very existence?

The first time they ever shared a conversation was in Potions class, fourth year. Slughorn had come up with the bright idea of pairing up his class, and he had decided to put the two together. Andromeda watched from the corner of her eye as Ted's eyes widened, and she caught the look of irritation that passed through his face at the match. Obviously she wasn't who he had been expecting, nor wanting to get paired up with. It stung her, to realize this, as he had always been so important in her life, without him even knowing it.

As he made his way slowly over to her table, setting his bag down on the table next to him, Andromeda felt herself stiffen up. When he sat down beside her, she didn't look over at him at first.

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?" he said finally when she didn't respond to his stare. His voice was full of irritation. "Because we're supposed to work on this project together, like it or not."

Andromeda allowed herself a glance over at him, and found that as her eyes met his, she couldn't bring herself to look away. Instead, she forced herself to give him the deadliest glare she could muster. Having had years to practice, and given that she perhaps had the best reference alive for it, most students would respond with fear. But what Ted did surprised her. Before she could even say a word, he had cut her off.

"You know, I don't think you pull that off very well," he said conversationally, his voice casual as he leaned back in his chair, giving her a raised eyebrow. "Because I already know that you aren't the same as your sister."

Andromeda blinked, her glare evaporated in an instant upon hearing his words. What was he talking about? "Just who do you think you-" she began, her voice raising slightly in disdain. But his smirk just returned, and she cut herself off, an incredulous expression becoming of her eyes.

"You see? Even you yourself know it's true." He seemed highly smug as he declared this, and the question in her eyes encouraged him to continue. "You didn't contradict me, did you?" His smirk was back, and Andromeda found herself staring at him in shock, her dark eyes round with surprise.

"Well I... That's because I don't need to," Andromeda said after a moment, her words coming out flustered. But there was no longer any dark hate apparent in them. She seemed to have forgotten to put that veil up. "I don't need to justify myself to a mudblood like you."

Ted just shrugged at this statement, and reached inside of his bag to pull out his potions book. He began to flick through it, ignoring her quite obviously as if she were not even there.

Her smugness upon seeing that he wasn't replying just turned to annoyance as he didn't even look over at her after that. Minutes passed, and finally she just let out a huff of irritation. "Are you not going to answer me?" she said finally, her voice a mixture of outrage and anger.

After a moment, Ted stopped his browsing, and looked over at her, seeing the outraged look on her face. Obviously she wasn't used to being ignored - everyone would step over themselves to answer anything the great Andromeda would say. But he just smiled platonically. "I didn't think that a mudblood like myself could ever have anything _worthy_ to say to such a pretty young lady such as yourself."

The blush that colored her pale cheeks was priceless.

_**If you had a friend you knew you'd never see again, what would you say? **_

_**If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be?**_

"**Say it, do it. Don't wait. Nothing lasts forever.**"

Although he hadn't lost hope, Frank's sudden change of heart on the term of the unlikely friendship Ted and the Slytherin had created caused Ted to finally realize the truth of the matter. It was their sixth year, and it was snowing. They were at Hogsmeade, the two boys wearing jackets and their blue house scarves. Andromeda had never looked prettier, with her black hair in a wavy perfection like it always was, her green scarf wrapped around her neck. She had been sitting with her friends, on a bench next to Honeydukes. But as Ted passed by her with his friend, he could see clearly that she wasn't really there with them - her eyes were distant, and she did not attribute to the conversation she and her friends were having. He knew her well enough from their secret meet-ups that she didn't like the friends her parents had picked out for her.

Ted found himself glancing over his shoulder again once they had passed, and from beside him, Frank finally gave in and sighed. "Okay, mate. Just go talk to her," he said in exasperation. His friend had fallen silent since they had caught sight of the Slytherin girl, and Frank knew why.

Ted glanced up as he heard the words, and just blinked, seeming somewhat surprised. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

"We both know you haven't been listening to me the last few minutes, and you keep looking back at her." Although his words had always been gruff and straightforward, Frank had always been a nice, understanding man.

Ted seemed to hesitate slightly, as if debating whether or not to contradict him. His friend had teased him for years now about how much importance the Slytherin girl held in his mind, and although he had always disregarded anything he had said about them being more than friends, Ted had always secretly wished for it. After a moment, he just waved his hand as if the idea was preposterous. "Nah. She's with her friends anyway, and she already told me that... we can't be seen together in public."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "I think we both know that you don't agree with that," he said slowly. "You know what, Ted? I think you're just fooling yourself here."

Ted blinked, obviously surprised by how his friend was suddenly reacting. "Huh? What do you-"

"I see the way you look at her, when you think she's not paying attention," Frank plowed on, not even listening to Ted's weak argument. "And I think we both know why you broke it off with Alice."

Ted grew silent, his expression somewhat hesitant. But he knew better than to interrupt again. Everything that Frank was saying was true, and for once, he wasn't really in the mood to deny it. After all, why should he? There was no point anymore.

"Just say something - hell, just _do_ something. Don't wait anymore, because if you do, you're just going to regret it." In his words, there was frustration, as if Frank was trying to desperately knock some sense into Ted. "Nothing lasts forever. And what do you think will happen once we leave school?" Both of them knew that after seventh year, Andromeda would be gone for good. She would be swept away, into her family's world of dark, pureblood mania. Their only excuse to see each other was that they went to the same school. But after that, there would _be_ no excuse. It would be over, the chance forever gone.

Ted bit his lip, allowing himself a glance over to where Andromeda was still seated, her gaze set somewhere on the snowy ground in front of her. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, as if she were thinking of something else. He couldn't help but hesitate slightly. The mere sight of her made him feel uncertain. Of course he wanted to tell her how he felt - wanted desperately to do so. More than anything in the world. But _how_ could he? What if it ruined everything, and she decided to never want to talk to him again? Somehow he couldn't allow himself to even fathom this. The idea of never talking to Andromeda again was a frightening concept in itself.

For a moment he seemed to be silent, until Frank just reached over and lightly punched him in the arm. "_Go_," he ordered, pushing him away in the general direction Andromeda sat.

Ted opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment a smile broke out onto his face. He was glad of the support his friend was giving him, mostly because he had never really expected Frank to support the friendship he held with Andromeda. Because of who she was, Frank had said from the first day that she was trouble. But perhaps now he had overlooked her surname, just as Ted had. "Thanks man," he said after a moment, his expression full of gratitude as he nodded. Silently he turned around in the snow, approaching the shop where she had been sitting in front of.

_**You never know where the next miracle is going to come from, the next memory, the next smile, the next wish come true. **_

As she had gotten up to leave with her friends, Ted had come up from behind her, and had pulled her away from the group. They didn't seem to really notice their friend's absence, and as Andromeda allowed herself to be tugged around to the alley behind the store, she had a confused look on her face.

"Tonks! I thought we agreed not to see each other outside of class," she accused. But contrary to her words, her expression told him otherwise. Although she made a point of seeming annoyed by his sudden appearance, a small smile lit her face.

He responded with a simple smirk, and continued to pull her along through the snow. There was no one around in the back alleys, and so she didn't pull her hand out of his grasp. "You know, I don't really appreciate you kidnapping me like this," she said, raising an eyebrow as they finally came to a stop behind a rather large shop. The view of the snowy valleys beyond gave them a nice view, and after a moment he finally forced himself to release her hand.

"Oh yes you do," he responded lightly. "I saw you with your friends - you weren't smiling like you are now, with me."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "That's because they are pompous brats, and you _know_ that already." She folded her arms across her chest, giving her a curious look.

"So you're agreeing that you prefer my company over theirs?" he asked, perching himself on top of the fence that overlooked the view.

For a moment she just gave him another mock glare, before coming up to sit beside him. Ted found himself noticing that she didn't keep a large distance - in fact, her leg almost touched his in proximety. "You know I do," she sighed, her words coming out serious. He knew she was telling the truth, and it made him warm inside to realize that he had actually come to achieve his wish from the first day they had met.

"Well that's a relief," he said after a moment, lightly elbowing her in the arm. He wanted to see her smile once again, and wasn't disappointed. "Because I'd hate to be second best to someone like _Malfoy_, and his gang of gits." He made a face.

Andromeda laughed. "He _is_ a git, isn't he?" she responded, her voice suddenly a note louder than its normally perfect, neutral self. "I thought I was the only one who noticed it."

Ted nodded, laughing as well. "He _is_," he replied, obviously amused by Andromeda's sudden words. She would always do that - suddenly burst out into uncontrolled laughter that would probably shame her mother. But he loved it.

She continued to giggle for a few moments, and finally just reached up to push a strand of hair out from her face. "Oh, if only I could say that to his face... He wouldn't believe it if I did." She sighed, suddenly seeming to realize her outburst. It would always happen like that - he would tell a joke, and would eventually get her to laugh. But she would stop herself right in the middle, always realizing it too late after the deed had been done.

Ted smirked. "One day you will," he declared. "And I'll be there too, with a camera. We can publish it on the Daily Prophet, so that everyone can see."

Andromeda smiled, tilting her head slightly as she continued to gaze out into the fields of snow that lay beyond. She fell silent after a moment, and just scooted over closer to him, gently putting her head against his shoulder.

It took him by surprise, the sudden contact. Andromeda had never done something like that before. He felt himself freeze slightly, his heart-rate excelling at the sudden closeness. What did she mean, by this? Was it her way of saying that she liked him, or was she perhaps just tired? Either way, she didn't seem at all self-conscious of her actions, as he could see her eyes clearly relaxed in a way that he only saw when they were alone together.

He decided eventually to act on the feeling he had, as he remembered what Frank had told him. It wasn't like he had years to do this. This might be his only chance. He hesitated before reaching over and casually putting his arm around her. She didn't seem to mind in the slightest, or rather, did not seem to react at all. He was confused for a moment, wondering if she had even noticed his sudden action. After a moment he cleared his throat. "You know, I'd hate to be second best to Malfoy, or to _anyone_ really..." His voice was quieter than it had been before, and for once, not teasing. He felt Andromeda tense slightly, and for a moment he wondered if he had said the wrong thing. She pulled away from him, looking up at him with her dark, large eyes. They were wide, as if she were surprised by this sudden confession.

They stayed like that for a moment, and Ted found himself beginning to panic when she continued to watch him, her eyes betraying no emotions. Had he said the wrong thing? Had he ruined everything? Her sudden words came out in a soft whisper. He barely heard them. "You're not."

He wasn't? Ted couldn't really believe her for a moment, until he realized that she was confirming what he had so desperately wanted to hear. He allowed himself a small smile. "I'm not?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

When she mirrored the smile, it was one that he had never seen before. Andromeda seemed shy in that moment, an emotion that he had never seen her portray. She could be short-tempered, sarcastic, even mean at times. But she was always so sure about herself - always so sure of what she was doing. She didn't seem so now however, and he could see that perhaps this was the first time that she had ever displayed such emotions.

Ted raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that I'm your favorite person?" he teased.

Andromeda rolled her eyes upon hearing that, and tried to hide the fact that a small blush was coloring her cheeks again. "Don't be stupid," she said quietly, seeming somewhat annoyed as she batted his arm away from her.

Ted laughed. For a moment he was silent, until suddenly he began to speak again. "Well you're mine," he said suddenly. Unlike before, his words were completely serious - utterly sincere. There was no trace of a joke on his face, no sarcasm inherent in his words. And she seemed to sense it, for the look she gave him was complete and utter shock.

A flash of hesitation passed by her eyes after a moment, and she seemed almost frightened for a moment. "Ted..." she protested, but her attempt was weak at best. She didn't want him to stop, despite the voice in the back of his mind that kept telling him that there would be repricussions to their actions.

"No Andromeda, let me say this," Ted said quietly, his voice determined as he interrupted her. "I need to... I need you to know how I feel." He hesitated before adding; "Before it becomes too late."

The expression on Andromeda's face was still hesitant, but she didn't try to stop him. Instead, she just leaned in closer, her eyes never leaving his face.

Ted was silent for a moment, looking away as he tried to organize his thoughts. Although he had thought them over so many times, he somehow found himself tongue-tied now that he was in front of her.

"Since the day I met you, Andy... I haven't been able to get you out of my head," he said finally, his voice somewhat flat as if he expected her to disagree. "But I saw the way you went along with your sister and what she thought... You never responded to anything I would say, and I lost hope after a few years." He glanced over at her, seeing that she was listening intently. He could see it in her eyes.

"But then we got paired up in potions, and you finally talked to me. I thought that you were going to be horrible, after what I'd seen you say to other people like me..." He was referring to his heritage, and the fact that he had no relatives with magic. A mudblood, as she had been so keen to call him. "But you weren't. And I couldn't believe it. You were actually... _nice_. You didn't treat me with anger. Well, at least not after a while." He smiled slightly.

Andromeda blinked, her expression urging him to continue. It was clear that she was completely taken by his words, and was listening intently.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, because I'm..." His voice trailed off, and he hesitated.

Andromeda seemed to sense that he was stalled slightly, perhaps from nerves, or maybe just because he was afraid of how she would react. But having heard what he had already said, it was clear to her what point he was trying to get at, and after a moment she reached up and lightly kissed his cheek. "You're what?" she whispered, her voice encouraging as she tried to get him to finish.

Ted seemed to smile slightly as Andromeda suddenly made contact with him. The feeling of her soft lips against his cheek made his heart-rate excel once more, and he silently glanced over at her, seeing that her expression was full of light.

"I think I'm in love with you, Andromeda Black."

She responded in a way that he couldn't have ever expected. As soon as the words left his mouth, the brightest smile he had ever seen lit her face, and she reached up and closed the space between them, placing a gentle kiss onto his lips.

_**But, if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty if it, you just might get the thing you wished for. **_

**The world is full of magic - you just have to believe in it. So make your wish. **

**Do you have it? Good. **

_**Now believe in it with all your heart.**_

Written as a challenge by my sister, Servalspirit. Based on a quote.


End file.
